Lessons from the Cane: Reflections on School Discipline
How many of you have received a cane on your fingers on the assembly as a child before? You know that feeling of pain you get as a result of that, especially one that makes you tremble inside of you. Reading the prompt for this week, my mind flashed back to those years or days, whichever one I call it because it's been more than 2 decades now.
My imageI remember how we would be checked thoroughly by our teachers on the assembly ground on a Monday morning, starting with our fingernails to see if it was well cut or not. We receive canes on the tip of our fingers when our nails are long and dirty with a warning that we must not bring the same dirty nails to school the next day.
Then they move forward to checking if we put on the correct socks which are always white coloured ones, any other colours are not allowed and the ones who usually violate the rule would have to remove their socks right from the gate while others who didn't wear theirs from home will do so right from the gate even before meeting with the first teacher who would be standing at a corner which sometimes would make us think there is no teacher around until we have stepped into the school away from the gate and with a shock behind us, we hear, "hey you, stand there. Where are your socks or the right sandals?"
My imageThe correct sandals that were accepted in my school were brown or black coloured ones and anything other than that would mean punishment as a correction not to wear them to school the next day. I do not enjoy being flogged for anything and when I am eventually punished on days I never expected, I try not to repeat the same because I hate the sound of a cane being landed on any of my body parts as I would dance like an earthworm in the presence of any teacher or my parents. This action always makes them laugh as it was always funny and I would think they have spared me but no, once I am in for punishment or flogging, I don't escape it.
Another punishment is to cut the grass behind the classrooms or sometimes, would be paired with other disobedient students to wash the dirty and stinky students' toilets where once you enter, you start seeing poo everywhere even plastered on walls. This is one reason I don't like entering the book of any teacher hunting for offenders on any day.
A screenshot from my Wordup Builder AppWhat about assignments? I could say this is the part I got more punishment either to kneel for some minutes or get flogged depending on the teacher's mood. There are some teachers that I don't fail in doing their assignments because it is evident that we would not be spared if we miss doing them and there are others who are still lenient in their dealings, but most times, we end up seeing their other eyes, perhaps being provoked by something or someone and are prone to venting their anger on the students.
It got to a time when if we failed to do our assignments based on not getting enough materials to achieve them and not get punished, we would pray for something bad to happen so they wouldn't have to show up in class while they nurse whatever problem they are faced with.
Some teachers can be cruel in that, they give simple exercises in class as examples and give us technical questions as take-home assignments making us rack our brains to solve which at the end of the day, we wouldn't be able to solve, thereby exposing ourselves to strokes of canes being lashed on our buttocks as we all would lie straight down on the table.
A screenshot from my Wordup Builder AppI would say the kinds of punishment we received back then in school were part of what shaped us. Being punished for late coming to school helped teach us the value of punctuality which has been a part of me today. Being punished for having dirty fingers also worked wonders for us in that we understood what cleanliness is and how to care for every part of our bodies. Being punished for not doing assignments also taught us how to be committed to our work and ensure we are always obedient and ready to do what our teachers told us. Doing assignments at home helped us learn and explore areas we weren't taught in class and that has helped me today to deliver my work with efficiency.
Being given punishment in school has a way of improving a child but should be minimal, corporal punishment is still better than any other which could hurt a child more. I believe those punishments are ways to build and shape a child's life into the best.
Some schools do allow the use of a cane while other schools do not, but a teacher must not be pushed to anger and use that to beat a child. It is believed that when one is provoked, it could affect a child when being flogged because, at that time, one would do something drastic. Just like a case of a teacher who flogged a student and accidentally hit the eyes. This was as a result of an extreme anger. Cane should be used to scare a child especially when he or she isn't ready to learn and if there is a need to use it, then one should be calm to lash out canes at the child.
Thanks for your time reading. Looking forward to your interaction.
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I hated being punished by my parents or my teachers, so I was obedient a lot.
I can't remember being punished that much unless it was a case of general punishment where the whole assembly ground or the whole class was to be punished.
Even at that, when you look at my innocent face you will just pardon me and let me go 😊
I had alot of students dacing like worms when being caned !lol they made me laugh 😂
I also do not like being punished too but in most cases, we cannot escape those canes and sometimes, we aren't lucky when we are piled up with the stubborn ones who implicate the innocent ones.
I also remember being flogged for not doing my assignments too in school and that would always make me have a sense of dread in me but it helped shape me then and even till now.
Minimal punishment and flogging is not a bad idea especially when it is deserving. Kids need to understand that there are consequences of actions.
Yes. Most schools still prefer corporal punishment but it still doesn't take away the use of canes because when rod is spared, the kids become spoilt.
Supported 100%
Everything you have said here "it is what it is" I can remember when I went to school with my nails looking all dirty omo that day was the worst day of my life, imagine being flogged in front of your crush, yeah that was what happened and after that day I always remember to clean my nails even at midnight cause affliction shall raise the second time.
Hahaha 😀 I can imagine that scenario and how embarrassed you would be then. These punishment helps shaped our lives.
I believe other forms of punishments should be adopted to reprimand students rather than the cane. Cause things can really go wrong like the case of the cane hitting a student’s eye
You are right. Anger can lead to something else when using a cane to correct a kid.
Ouch, so strict! Most schools in the US are not allowed to use corporal punishment, but some do. It is actually sadly notorious at some schools for special needs children, which is especially cruel. They say they don't understand otherwise, but if they don't understand, why are you punishing them? But I digress.
Most schools don't have uniforms here either, but like, private schools and Catholic schools do, so we tend to think of them as fancy. There are pros and cons to no uniforms; pros, you can wear mostly whatever (though there are dress codes), but cons, it means the poor kids who are in hand-me-downs and mismatched or not in fashion clothes are taunted by classmates. I was told I looked "like a hobo" because I was the mismatched hand-me-downs kid, or I was asked "are you a hippie?" because I guess the weird mismatch made me look like I was from the 1960s? LOL
A hobo? Oh no, and that came from a fellow kid?
Basically they thought I looked homeless. Yeah, from another kid.
Some teachers are just inconsiderate about students because they just feel itched to use cane on them instead of making them understand what they do not know.
That was a wrong word to use on you from a fellow kid too.
The exact punishment I received from my teachers, which had helped me today to fix my life and to be responsible.
But then, why is it the punishment of those days isn't being seen in our schools today?
As in. I still wonder because things have changed now. They aren't instilling the training we had during ours.
Hmmm, God will help us.
I’m laughing because I can’t relate but I saw people that went through that
I don’t understand why people get punished for getting things wrong though… I mean if they understood it, they wouldn’t have gotten it wrong
Some teachers are just mean and their hands are always itching to use cane on students, so they punish them even for unnecessary stuff.
Some got them wrong because they were not serious in getting them right.
That’s true, others channel their frustrations through punishment which is why it is not advisable to cane a child out of anger no matter what.
Exactly. Anger is bad and can make one regret their actions.
Some teachers are just too mean. Of course children should be disciplined but sometimes the teachers take it too far.
In Nigeria, these kind of punishment still takes place in public schools, while the private schools are careful in allowing such because they don't want any angry teacher to spoil business for them.
Your post really took me down memory lane 🤣.
#dreemerforlife
I can relate with your story. Corporal punishment no be anybody's mate o, you must be humbled.
🤣🤣 yes oo
One of the punishment I ever received in school was coming late...any other thing, I was always sure to avoid cane because just like you, I don't like anything cane closed to me 😂
But my own opinion is that teachers should stop punishing students for failing assignments instead, they should focus on making them to understand
Hahaha 😀 I dare not come late to school 😅
Yes, why beat students because they fail? They ought to be taught to understand better.
This is nostalgic. I received the hell of punishment in my junior secondary school days. A teacher would be punishing and another one would pass and say "you again?" on sighting me. He would tell the teacher punishing me to add more to the punishment. I thank God for everything. It helped me a lot.
#dreemerforlife
Hahaha 😀 That scene is always painful but now, we thank God for how we have been shaped through these punishment.
😂😂😂😂🙏
Keep up the good work. 👏🎵
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